1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for use by a surgeon for immobilizing a portion of a patient's limb during surgery. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for holding a patient's thigh in a fixed position on an operating table while enabling the lower portion of the leg to be bent and rotated at the knee when arthroscopic surgery is being performed on the patient's knee.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A relatively recent type of surgery, known as arthroscopic surgery, is becoming increasingly widespread in the medical field. In this type of surgery, an instrument called an arthroscope is inserted into various areas of a patient's body, in particular the joints, enabling the surgeon to view the interior of the joint. The surgeon then can view the joint for diagnostic purposes or for performing various surgical procedures within the joint by inserting instruments through small punctures made in the area of the joint.
Arthroscopic surgery is increasing in use in knee surgery for cartilage repair, spur and bone chip removal, and bone repair. During arthroscopic knee surgery, the surgeon by applying valgus and varus stress on the knee and by rotation of the knee can "gap" the bones within the knee to gain access to areas therebetween for performing surgery by the inserted instruments. It is critical that the upper leg or thigh area of the patient be completely fixed and immobile during the procedure so that this "gapping" is achieved entirely by movement of the lower portion of the leg. Heretofore, an assistant was required to manually hold the thigh of the patient during the arthroscopic surgery which may take the major portion of an hour. Such manual immobilization is extremely tiresome for the assistant and does not achieve the desired immobility of the patient's thigh.
There is presently available for use by arthroscopic surgeons a clamp for holding the patient's thigh, which consists of a metal strap which is clamped tightly about the patient's thigh by a toggle mechanism. Such device has been found to be unsatisfactory due to its bulkiness, expense, unsatisfactory gripping ability, and possible injury to the area of the leg which is gripped by the metal strap. Also, this known stabilizing device is believed to increase the possible contamination risks.
Various other devices have been developed for holding the limb of a patient during surgery, or the taking of X-rays, or during other medical procedures, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,266,231, 2,850,342, 4,045,678, and 4,069,813. Again, these types of clamps or immobilizing devices are not believed to be entirely satisfactory for holding a patient's thigh immobile in the desired position if used in arthroscopic surgery.
Accordingly, the need has existed for an improved device which is of a relatively simple, inexpensive, sanitary construction which can grip the thigh of a patient and retain the same in fixed immobile position on an operating table to permit movement of the lower leg by the surgeon during anthroscopic surgery. There is no known device of which I am aware which accomplishes this result in the manner of my invention which is described below and set forth in the appended claims.